A Virginia State Police special agent faces federal charges of lying to the FBI about “inappropriate and sexual relationships with confidential informants.” 46-year-old Shade Workman of Bluefield was arrested this morning.

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia: A A Virginia State Police Special Agent, formerly assigned to the Tazewell County High Intensity Drug Task Force, was arrested this morning on a federal criminal complaint charging him with lying to a federal agent. United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen and Special Agent in Charge Adam S. Lee of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement. Shade Workman, 46, of Bluefield, Va., was arrested this morning and charged in a federal criminal complaint with one count of lying to a federal agent.

“By engaging in this criminal conduct and lying to the FBI, this trooper betrayed the trust of the esteemed Virginia State Police and the citizens he was sworn to protect,” U.S. Attorney Cullen stated. “The United States Attorney’s Office, along with our partners at the FBI, are committed to investigating and prosecuting allegations of corruption by law-enforcement officers.”

“The Virginia State Police is one of the nation’s premier law enforcement agencies. The FBI works closely with VSP’s outstanding leadership and its superlative men and women to keep the Commonwealth safe and to mitigate the most serious criminal and national security threats, every day. They partner with us even when those threats come from within,” Special Agent Lee said today. “Workman made a series of poor choices which were inconsistent with the high ethical rigor of an agency like VSP and which violated federal law. It is my hope that this case makes clear to our Virginia communities that they are protected by the best – and only the best.”

According to the criminal complaint and affidavit, Workman made false statements to agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who were investigating allegations of Workman’s inappropriate relationships with confidential informants. As stated in the affidavit, when questioned, Workman falsely denied having inappropriate and sexual relationships with confidential informants and also denied instructing a confidential informant to destroy evidence of those relationships.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee will prosecute the case for the United States.

A criminal complaint is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.